H. H. Holmes, photo via Calumet 412
At first, the theory seems too far-fetched to be real, but one family descendant of infamous Chicago serial killer H.H. Holmes is now moving forward on research he says shows Holmes was likely also Jack the Ripper. Jeff Mudgett is the great-great-great-grandson of Holmes (aka Herman Webster Mudgett), whose gruesome murders were detailed in Erik Larson's outstanding book Devil in the White City, and has already done substantial research on this theory, according to a story in The Daily Mail. When Holmes was caught in 1894 in Chicago, he admitted to 27 murders though some think his total body counts could have been in the hundreds. As Devil recounted, many of his murders came as Chicago underwent a post-Great Fire revival thanks to hosting the World's Columbian Exposition world's fair in 1893.
Mudgett's theory sprang from his own research into his family tree and the atrocities committed by his great-great-great-grandfather, specifically similarities between the murders of Holmes and Jack The Ripper. He went so far as to enlist handwriting experts, several who have said letters written by Holmes and Jack The Ripper were likely written by the same hand. In fact, according to the Daily Mail, "a computer program used by the Postal Service and Department of Justice stated it was a 97.95 per cent match." While Mudgett's isn't a new theory, it's the first time any sort of hard evidence has been presented supporting it.
The research into his dark family history has been collected in a new book by Mudgett, called Bloodstains and Mudgett has been blogging about his research and book at the book's website. Among Mudgett's research is whether or not Holmes ever traveled abroad and how this might dovetail with some British theories that Jack The Ripper wasn't a London resident but rather a tourist who eventually left England. Holmes moved to Chicago in 1886 and lived here until his arrest in 1894; the five murders historically attributed to Jack The Ripper occurred in London in the fall of 1888.
H. H. Holmes
In an interview earlier this year with Ancestry.com (full video below), Mudgett said of his investigation, "the truth is a beautiful thing to me, a gorgeous thing."
Of course, we're a skeptical society today and the fact that Mudgett is out there promoting a book while also revealing this very sensationalistic theory certainly carries more than a whiff of self-promotion. There are also the clear plugs he puts in for Ancestry.com in his interview with that site. On his blog, Mudgett has dismissed any allegations that he's purely doing this for the money, pointing to the fact his book is self-published and unlikely to earn him very much in the way of any kind of fortune which is a fair point. And so little is known about much of Holmes' life and, of course, nothing is known about Jack The Ripper. The evidence Mudgett has offered up is certainly interesting but too little to make an official confirmation with, something echoed in this interview Mudgett did with WGN. Compounding matters are the sheer number of theories about Jack The Ripper: whether it was one killer or multiple killers; the bevy of people who have claimed to have been Jack; and the lack of evidence other than the killer's m.o.
Still, the idea that the two most prolific serial killers of the late 19th Century are actually one person is not only incredibly compelling, it's totally plausible and worth continuing to look into. (Consider the tidbit that Holmes did allegedly travel to London in 1888, the year of the Ripper's murders.) So the speculation and theorizing will continue to swirl and deepen, likely bringing new life to the legend of Holmes and, perhaps, even more into Jack the Ripper, even if it's unlikely any sort of connection will ever be officially recognized by authorities.
And not to be overlooked, Leonardo DiCaprio will depict Holmes in the upcoming film adaptation of Devil in the White City which will light these theory flames anew.
I coulnd't watch more than 2 minutes of the video becuase the girl was so vapid and her use of language so terrible. Ummm, like, you guys, umm, like did you ever think umm
Fascinating.
Good article, but Holmes left Chicago in November of 1893 - right after the fair - and was arrested twice - once in St. Louis and once in Boston - not Chicago. Indeed, he was never charged for any of the murders he presumably committed here, but rather for the murders of four members of the Pietzel family.
It's great theory. Leonardo playing the part is a good choice.
Your article is fair and well written. Our allegations Holmes was JTR raise probable cayse and should not yet be considered beyond a reasonable doubt. For that, we will need the assistance of the FBI and Scotland Yard. The way it should be.
Your article is fair and well written. Our allegations Holmes was JTR raise probable cayse and should not yet be considered beyond a reasonable doubt. For that, we will need the assistance of the FBI and Scotland Yard. The way it should be.
I enjoyed your article, and I'm glad to see you covering the possibility, especially from a well-regarded Chicago Newspaper. I never thought Jack The Ripper could have been an American, but the book, 'Bloodstains' was very compelling, and there are, to my understanding, composite drawings from eye-witnesses, the final result of which bears an uncanny resemblance to Holmes.
Totally fantastic, the possibility of Jack the Ripper was an american tourist in London.
There are many suspects and H.H also in that list.
To set the record straight. Holmes was never arrested or charged with the murder of his long time companion Benjamin Pitezel. He was arrested and later sentenced to death by hanging for "land fraud and deception including insurance fraud and horse thievery" of a parcel of land he and Pitezel schemed together in Ft. Worth Tx. Coincidentally, Pitezel was also charged, but due to his death at the hands of Holmes his charges were later deemed "uninforceable". Hence, Dr. Holmes was never charged with a single murder while alive, postmortem Dr. Holmes was attributed with the deaths off Benjamin Pitezel and his children by public proclamation - an ad was taken out a newspaper and other newspapers ran with the sensational news of Holmes' diabolic deeds.
Jack the Ripper was an aggressive, brutal predator attacking woman on the street in a careless manner. Holmes operated more like a spider. He planned his killings and did not endulge in uncontroled attacks. The two groups of killings have nothing in common and there is no evidence Holmes ever traveled to England.
I don,t blame Jeff Mudget for trying to make a buck from the skeleton in the family closet but his theory doesn,t hold water even looking at it superficialy.
Dave,
Holmes was charged and convicted of the murder of Ben Peitzel. He was found to have poisoned him with cloroform then burned him to death while he was still alive.
John Borowski's book "The Strange Case of H.H. Holmes" provides large parts of the trial testimony. The trial judge refused to allow evidence of Holme's other murders and crimes to be presented at the Peitzel Trial but everyone on the jury already knew about them and his conviction and death sentence were a forgone conclusion.
Steve 5150, Holmes was arrested and held in Boston on November 17, 1894 for the outstanding warrant in Texas of "horse theft". While being held, this gave Detective Frank Geyer the time he required to build a case against Holmes and collect evidence. It was not until AFTER his incarceration in Boston for horse theft in Texas that investigators began poking around the Castle and stumbled upon Holmes' labyrinth and his diabolic deeds in the basement of the Murder Castle.
Chronological order of events:
Benjamin F. Pitezel, date killed September 1, 1894, date body was found September 4, 1894.
11/17/1894 Dr. H. H. Holmes is arrested in Boston on a warrant for horse theft in Texas.
06/03/1895 Dr. H. H. Holmes is tried for conspiracy to cheat and defraud the insurance company. Holmes pleads guilty on the second day of the trial.
09/12/1895 Dr. H. H. Holmes is indicted in Philadelphia for the murder of Benjamin Pitezel.
09/23/1895 Dr. H. H. Holmes pleads not guilty. The court schedules the trial for October 28, 1895.
Hence, the “original” charge Dr. H. H. Holmes was arrested for was “horse theft”!
By the way, I agree, my good friend John Borowski's book "The Strange Case of H. H. Holmes" offers a superior account of the Holmes trial.
Dane